'It's Okay to be White' Stickers Removed in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, MA - After several Cambridge residents complained about seeing 'It's Okay To Be White' stickers in Harvard Square and the Cambridge Common, many but not all have been removed by Dept. of Public Works crews.

According to Cambridge Police Dept. spokesperson Jeremy Warnick, the police received a tip from a resident this morning regarding “a number of stickers” placed in the common.

Warnick said officers were deployed to the area to follow-up and DPW was requested to remove the stickers.

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"There are no known involved parties at this time and this incident continues to be investigated," he said.

According to a Boston Magazine post, the stickers may be the work of internet trolls.

A post on a forum last night suggests it may have been part of a coordinated trolling effort timed for Halloween. It may or may not have anything to do with the stickers in Cambridge, but it offers some insight on why these campaigns keep happening. The post mentioned plans to distribute fliers reading “it’s okay to be white” on “car windshields, bulletins, telephone poles, malls, buildings,” then sit back and watch the fireworks. A similar sign was discovered yesterday outside the offices of a “Native Studies” building on the campus of the University of Alberta. There were early, unconfirmed reports on Twitter of similar signs on the campuses of Purdue and Tulane universities.

Photos by Dana Forsythe